Luxurious Smart Speaker
You can now enjoy the signature Devialet sound anywhere
Devialet speakers don’t just look outstanding, they sound marvellous, especially how they generate the kind of energy at the low end. The launch of the new Devialet Mania will now satisfy two market segments: the group that wants to bring the Devialet signature sound wherever they go, and the group with a budget of below S$1,500.
The Devialet Mania is the most affordable speaker from this French acoustic engineering company. The first impression upon the first unboxing is that it resembles a kettlebell with a small handle. The spherical polished design wrapped with fabric hints of artificial intelligence, like an eye that watches over the living space, waiting to respond. Indeed, Devialet Mania supports Amazon Alexa so you can actually give voice commands to play your favourite music.
Thanks to the built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, you can stream lossless digital audio without being limited by Bluetooth compression. Once the speaker is connected to the Wi-Fi using the companion smartphone app, the Mania can be selected for audio streaming. The buttons on the speaker are indented and the markings are not distinct enough, so they are hard to press and not easy to remember. Fortunately, everything can be controlled remotely via the smartphone app.
The star experience of listening to Devialet speakers is the woofer performance, and the Mania is no exception. It automatically detects the room acoustics through four built-in microphones and actively calibrates the sound to deliver a 360-degree music experience. The size is perfect for enclosed rooms where the Phantom series speakers might be overkill. Retaining the signature sound in a small portable form factor, the treble is not aggressively bright while the bass is a natural showoff. I might prefer the tuning to be a bit more sparkling, which can be easily adjusted through the app to suit individual preferences.
I really like how the lower frequencies rumble with confidence when listening to music at a lower volume. For most speakers, the bass only resonates when the volume is turned up. Not for Devialet Mania. They are great for most modern genres, especially those with well-mixed bass. The classical genre might not sound as revealing unless the treble is bumped up on the EQ.
Rating: 4.5/5
We Say: The Devialet Mania may be heavy to carry around but the design and the sound quality is worth the effort.
S$1,360
www.devialet.com
Technical Specifications
Processor 4x ARM Cortex-A53 1.4GHz processor
Driver 4x aluminium full-range drivers + 2 woofers
Frequency Response 30 – 20,000 Hz
Maximum Sound Level 95 dB SPL at 1 metre
Total Amplification Power 2x 38W class-D for woofers, 4x 25W class-D for full-range speakers
Total Harmonic Distortion <0,3% (1 kHz / 100 dBSPL)
Connectivity Bluetooth 5.0, WiFi 2.4/5GHz 802.11a/b/g/n/ac, Spotify Connect, Airplay 2, Amazon Alexa
Bluetooth Codecs SBC, AAC
Water Resistance IPX4
Battery up to 10 hours playtime, 3 hours charging
Dimensions 176 x 193 x 139 mm
Weight 2.3 kg
